Journal box drilling machine



March 11, 1958 w. c. REDDICK ET AL 2,826,101-

JOURNAL BOX DRILLING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 29, 1957 NVENTORS March 11, 1958 w. c. REDDICK ET AL JOURNAL BOX DRILLING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 29, 1957 INVENTOR Rediz'ck,

nfiaicer JJZHaZLJ)? BY;JI{ v v 2 ATTORNEY March 11 1958 w. c. REDDICK ETAL 2,

JOURNAL BOX DRILLING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 29, 1957 IN VENTORS ale WGRQJJ: ck,

JZQB Z ant/ken Z 7; I .ffw ll, :7

ATTORNEY March '11, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 29, 1957 United States Patent C 2,826,101 JOURNAL BOX DRILLING MACHINE Willis C. Reddick, Raymond G. Blankenbaker, and James H. Hall, J13, Tulsa, Okla.

Application March 29, 1957, Serial No. 649,399

9 Claims. (Cl. 777) This invention relates to a machine of novel construction capable of simultaneously drilling four holes in a railroad car journal box while the truck remains in position beneath the car.

Without the machine, constituting this invention, it is necessary to dismantle the truck so that a journal box can be taken to a shop where the four holes can be drilled, one at a time. Such holes are required to receive bolts used to secure journal stops in the journal boxes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a readily portable machine which may be readily operated by one man, which can be adjusted to fit various types of frames or truck sides, and which can very rapidly accomplish the operation of drilling four holes required in a journal box.

A further object of the invention is to provide a drilling machine having novel means for quickly and easily clamping the machine to a journal box which is supported by a truck disposed beneath a railroad car and with the machine correctly positioned for accurately drilling the four required holes.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of the drilling machine;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view thereof, partly in section;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view, partly in section of the machine;

. Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view in detail, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line i -4 of Figure 2 and showing the forward end only of the machine;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view in detail, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 66 of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a portion of the machine, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 7-7 of Figure 4;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 8-8 of Figure 1, and

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 9-9 of Figure 1.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the journal box drilling machine in its entirety is designated generally 12 and includes an elongated rectangular frame 13 constituting a part of the forward end of the machine 12 and which comprises a front wall 14, a rear wall 15, and end walls 16 and 17. The frame 13 is elongated in Patented Mar. 11, 1958 rods or tubes 20 form rails which are disposed within 7 the frame 13, one adjacent the front wall 14 and the other adjacent the rear wall 15. The rails 28 support a pair of drill carriers 21 and 22 within the frame 13 for movement longitudinally thereof, as will hereinafter be described. The carrier 21 is mounted between the end wall 16 and bar 18 and includes a bottom plate 23 which fits slidably between the front wali 14 and rear wall 15 and which has a pair of aligned sleeves 24 secured to and extending upwardly from said bottom plate 23, near each side edge thereof. One pair of sleeves 24 slidably engage one of the rails 28, and the other pair of sleeves 24 slidably engage the other rail 20 for slidably supporting the carrier 21 in the frame 13. The carrier 21 also includes side walls 25 which extend upwardly from adjacent the side edges of the plate 23, and a web 26 which rises from said plate 23 and extends between the walls 25. The upper portion of the web 26 is provided with transversely spaced bearings 27 in each of which is journalled a portion of a stem 28 which projects from a rear end of a drill bit 29. The drill bits 29 project from the bearings 27 inwardly of the frame 13. Sprocket wheels 30 are secured to the opposite outer ends of the stems 28 and are disposed on the outer sides of the bearings 27.

The carrier 22 includes a bottom plate 31, similar to the plate 23 and which is disposed beneath the rails 26 and has guide sleeves 32, fixed to the upper side thereof, corresponding to the sleeves 24, which slidably engage the rails 28 for slidably supporting the carrier 22 in the frame 13 between the bar 18 and end wall 17. The carrier 22 has upstanding side walls 33, similar to the walls 25, and a Web 34, similar to the web 26. The upper portion of the web 34 has transversely spaced bearings 35, corresponding to the bearings 27.. The bearings 27 and 35 both contain antifriction bearings 36 for the stems which are journalled therein. Said bearings 35 journal additional stems 28 having drill bits. 29 projecting from the inner ends thereof and from the inner sides of the bearings 35, toward the drill bits 29 of the carrier 21. Sprocket wheels 37 are secured to the opposite ends of the stems 28 and are located on the outer sides of the bearings 35.

A shaft 38 is disposed longitudinally within the frame 13 and has a portion thereof extending slidably and rotatably through a bushing 39 which is supported in an opening 40 of the bar 18. An end portion of the shaft 38 extends rotataoly through an opening 41 of the web 34. A sprocket wheel 42 is threaded onto a threaded end 43 of the shaft 38 and is retained thereon by a jamb nut 44, which threadedly engages the shaft portion 43. A thrust bearing 45 is mounted in an outwardly opening socket 46 formed in the outer side of the web 34, around the opening 41. The shaft 38 extends through said thrust bearing 35 and the inner side of the sprocket wheel 42 bears against said thrust bearing. A thrust collar 47 is adjustably secured to the shaft 38 and bears against the inner side of the web 34 to combine with the sprocket wheel 42 and jamb nut 44 to prevent sliding movement of the shaft 38 relative to the carrier 22 but to permitsaid shaft to rotate therein.

A bushing 48 is mounted in and extends through a portion of the web 26. A part of the shaft 38, extends.

asaatot rotatably and slidably through said bushing 48, so that the shaft 38 is mounted rotatably in the carrier 21 and said carrier is slidably mounted relative to the shaft 38, as will hereinafter be more fully described. A sprocket wheel 49 is slidably keyed as seen at 50 in Figure to the shaft 38 and is disposed on the outer side of the web and between said web and a collar 51. The collar 51 through which the shaft 38 loosely extends, as best seen in Figure 8, is fixed to and extends upwardly from a part of the carrier plate 23.

A pair of bearing hangers 52 are fixed to and depend from the plate 23. An end 53 of a shaft extends through and is journalled in antifriction bearings 54 of the hangers 52. The opposite end of said shaft is outwardly tapered, as seen at 55, and extends outwardly from beneath the end wall 16 and is disposed beneath and parallel to the shaft 38. A sprocket wheel 56 is secured to the shaft portion 53 for rotation therewith and is disposed between the hangers 52.

The inner portion of the plate 23, inwardly with respect to the hangers 52, is provided with a depending fork 57 in which a wheel 58 is journalled on an axle 59. The inner end of the plate 31 of the carrier 22 is also provided with a fork 57 supporting an axle 59 on which is journalled a second wheel 58. The wheels 58 provide the ground engaging wheels on which the machine 12 is supported for movement, as will hereinafter be described.

As best seen in Figure 4, a cylinder 60 has a closed upper end which is disposed against and suitably secured to the underside of the bar 18 and extends downwardly therefrom between the front and rear walls 14 and 15, respectively, and between the forks 57. A piston 61 is recipro-cably mounted in the cylinder 60 and has a piston rod 62 extending downwardly therefrom. The rod 62 extends slidably through a plug 63 which is threadedly mounted in the lower end of the cylinder 60. A flat plate 64 is secured to the lower end of the piston rod 62, beneath the cylinder 60 and plug 63. A compression spring 65 is disposed around the piston rod 62, within the cylinder 60, and has its upper end bearing against the piston 61 and its lower end bearing against the plug 63 for normally retaining the piston 61 in a retracted position as seen in Figure 4, adjacent the upper end of the cylinder 60, so that the plate 64 is supported in a raised position above the level of the lower portions of the wheels 58.

A hook 66 is rigidly secured to the outer side of the rear wall 15 and extends upwardly and rearwardly therefrom and has an inwardly and downwardly turned bill portion 67 at its upper end, for a purpose which will hereinafter be described. The hook 66, including the bill portion 67 thereof, is relatively wide as seen in Figure 1.

As best illustrated in Figure 5, an endless chain 63 is trained under the sprocket wheel 49, over the sprocket wheels 30, and under the drive sprocket 56, so that portions of the chain 68 extend downwardly from remote portions of the sprocket wheels 30 to the sprocket wheel 56 and other portions of said chain 68 extend from adjacent portions of the sprocket wheels .36 to the sprocket wheel 49. As seen in Figures 2 and 4, a stub shaft 69 extends through and is mounted in the web 3 of the carrier 22. An idler sprocket wheel 70 is journalled on said stub shaft 69, on the outer side of the web 34, directly above the sprocket wheel 42 and below the level of the sprocket wheels 37. An endless chain 71 is trained under the sprocket 42, over the sprockets 37 and under the sprocket 70, in the same manner as the chain 68.

The drill bit carriers 21 and 22 are fed toward and away from one another by a feed, designated generally 72 and best illustrated in Figure 8. The feed 72 includes an externally threaded inner sleeve 75 having an inner end which extends through and is secured immovably in the collar 51, so that the sleeve 73 forms a part of the carrier 21. The sleeve 73 extends outwardly from the collar 51 loosely through an opening 74, formed in a thickened portion 75 of the end wall 16. An internally threaded outer sleeve 76 is threadedly mounted on the sleeve '73 and likewise extends loosely through the opening '74. A collar 77 has an inner end disposed around and immovably secured to the outer end of the sleeve 76. The collar 77 is disposed outwardly with respect to the thickened wall portion 75 and extends outwardly from the outer end of the sleeve 76. The collar 77, beyond the sleeve 76, is larger internally than the external diameter of said sleeve. The shaft 38 extends loosely through the inner sleeve 73 and into the collar 77 and is provided with a restricted neck portion 78 located immediately beyond the outer end of the outer sleeve 76, and which is disposed slightly beyond the outer end of the inner sleeve '73. An antifriction ball bearing 79 is mounted on the neck 78 and within the collar 77 to permit the shaft 38 to revolve freely within the collar 7'? and sleeve 73. stem 86 which projects outwardly from the neck 78 and which is likewise disposed within the collar 77. A nut 31 is threaded on the stem 80 and is immovably secured thereto in a desired adjusted position by a setscrew 82 which is threaded radially through the nut 81 and against the stem 30. A washer $3 is mounted on the stem 80 between the neck 78 and nut 81. The inner race 34 of the ball bearing 79 fits snugly between the washer 83 and the annular shoulder 85, formed by the neck 78 and around the inner end thereof, and constituting a part of the shaft 38. The collar 77 is provided with an enlarged intern-ally threaded outer end portion 86 into which is threaded a plug 87 which has an inwardly opening internal recess 88, in which the stem 80, nut 81 and washer 83 are loosely accommodated. The plug 87 is secured immovably to the collar 77 by a setscrew 89 which is threaded radially through a part of the collar 77 against a part of the plug 87. The annular inner end of the plug 87 engages the outer side of the outer race 90 of the bearing 79 and the outer end of the outer sleeve 76 bears against the inner side of the race 90. Thus, the ball bearing 79 in combination with the parts engaged thereby while permitting the shaft 38 to rotate freely within the sleeve 73 and collar 77, prevents the outer sleeve 76 and collar 77 from moving in either direction longitudinally relative to said shaft 38. A sprocket wheel 91 is immovably secured to the outer end of the plug 87, so that said plug, the collar 77 and outer sleeve 76 turn as a unit with the sprocket wheel 91.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a handle structure, designated generally 92, includes arms 93 and 94 having corresponding ends which are suitably secured rigidly to end portions of the frame 13 and which extend rearwardly from said rear wall 15. A handle bar 95 is secured to and extends across opposite ends of the arms 93 and 94, and a cross brace 96 extends between and is secured to the arms 93 and 94, midway of the ends thereof. At least one supporting leg 97 is fixed to and extends downwardly from the cross brace 96 to cooperate with the wheels 53 for supporting the machine 12 when not in use and when the plate 64 is in a retracted or raised position as seen in Figure 4. The handle bar 95 comprises a rigid pipe or tube, which is sealed 011 from the arms 94, which arms and the cross brace 96 may also be tubular. One end of the pipe 95 is sealed by a cap 98. The other end of the pipe 95 is connected by a coupling 99 to an end of a hose leading from a suitable source of compressed air, not shown. A branch conduit 101 leads from the pipe 95 and discharges into the upper end of the cylinder 60, as best seen in Figure 4. A conventional three-way valve 102 is mounted in the branch conduit 191, adjacent the pipe or handle bar 95, for shutting off the supply of compressed air through the conduit 101 to the cylinder 60, opening the passage to allow compressed air to be supplied to the cylinder 60 through the conduit The shaft 38 terminates in a restricted threaded 101, or for venting the cylinder 60 through the conduit 101 to the atmosphere. Another conduit 103, which also includes a flexible portion, leads from the pipe 95 and is connected to a conventional pneumatic motor 104 for driving said motor. The conduit 103 also is provided with a control valve 105, located adjacent the handle bar 95 for shutting oif or supplying compressed air to the motor 104. As seen in Figure 3, the motor 104 connects in a conventional manner to the tapered shaft end 55 for driving the shaft 53, 55 and the drive sprocket wheel 56.

A plate 106, as seen in Figures 1, 2 and 9, is secured to the underside of a portion of the arm 93 and cross brace 96 and includes an extension 107 which projects from the inner edge thereof and which has a downturned end 108. A plate 109 is secured to the underside of the plate 106 by nut and bolt fastenings 110. The bolts of the fastenings 110 extend through elongated slots 111 of the plate 109 and which permit adjustment of the plate 109, relative to the plate 106, toward or away from the frame 13. The fastenings 110 are adapted to be tightened for clamping the plate 109 to the plate 106 in various adjusted positions. The inner end of the plate 109 is provided with a depending flange 112, which is disposed in alignment with the depending flange 108. A feed screw 113 is threaded through the flange 108 toward the flange 112 and has an end bearing against said flange 112 for displacing the plate 109 outwardly relative to the plate 106 when the fastenings 110 are loosened. A bearing 114 is secured to the underside of the adjustable plate 109, adjacent the outer end thereof, and is disposed crosswise of the direction of sliding movement of said plate.

A shaft 115 is journalled in the bearing 114 and is retained against sliding movement relative to said bearing by collars 116 which are secured to the shaft 115 and which engage the ends of the bearing 114. A nut 117 threadedly engages an inner end of the shaft 115 to retain the collar 116, located adjacent thereto, against an inner end of the bearing 114. A crank 118 is secured to an outer end of the shaft 115 and a sprocket wheel 119 is secured to the shaft 115, adjacent the crank 118 and in alignment with the sprocket wheel 91. An endless chain 120 is trained over the sprocket wheels 91 and 119 for manually operating the carrier feed 72 by turning the crank 118.

With the plate 64 in a retracted position, as seen in Figure 4, the drilling machine 12 can be manually propelled about on the two ground engaging wheels 58 and can thus be rolled into a position beneath a journal box 121 which is mounted on a truck, not shown, disposed beneath a railroad car, not shown. As the frame portion 13 approaches a position to pass under the journal box 121, the machine 12 is tilted by elevating the handle 95 to elevate the book 66 so that the bill 67 of the hook can be engaged over a bottom edge 122 of the journal box opening, which is exposed by movement of the journal box cover, not shown, to an open position. After the hill 67 of the hook engages said edge 122 of the journal box, the handle 95 is swung downwardly which will cause the frame 13 to swing upwardly beneath the journal box 121 so that the wheels 58 will be elevated 011 of the ground. With the machine 12 held in this position, the valve 102 is manipulated to supply air under pressure through the conduit 101 to the upper end of the cylinder 60 for extending the piston rod 62 and plate 64, as previously described, to the position of said parts as seen in Figures 2 and 3, with the plate 64 contacting the ground 123 and being disposed below the level of the wheels 5'8. In this manner the machine 12 is clamped immovably to the journal box 121. As best seen in Figures 1 and 6, the bar 18 is preferably provided with dowels 124 having upper ends which project slightly above the top surface of said bar 18 and which abut against a flat bottom surface 125 of the journal box 121.

The hand crank 118 is then turned in one direction for 6 revolving the collar 77 and outer sleeve 76 relative to the inner sleeve 73, through the sprocket wheel and chain drive 91, 119, 120 to cause said inner sleeve 73 to move inwardly with respect to the outer sleeve 76. When this occurs, the carrier 21 to which the inner sleeve 73 is fixed will be moved toward the carrier 22 and as the has been accomplished, the crank shaft 38 is also being pulled from right to left, as seen in Figure 4, the carrier 22 will be drawn toward the carrier 21. Either of said carriers may move relative to the other until the tips of the drill bits 29 thereof con tact the side wall of the journal box 121, after which the other carrier will move until the tips of the drill bits 29 of both carriers are in contact with the side walls 126 of the journal box. The valve 105 is then opened to supply compressed air for driving the motor 104 by which the sprocket wheel 56 is driven counterclockwise as seen in Figure 5 for driving the two sprocket wheels 30 and the drill bits 29 of the carrier 21 counterclockwise. The sprocket wheel 49 is simultaneously driven in the opposite direction or clockwise for driving the sprocket wheel 42 in the same direction through the connection of the sprocket wheels 49 and 42 by the shaft 38. The two drill bits 29 of the carrier 22 revolve with their sprocket wheels 37 in the same direction as the sprocket wheel 42. Thus, the four drill bits are revolved simultaneously and at the same time the crank 118 is turned in the same direction as aforementioned to continue to advance the carriers 21 and 22 toward one another so that the four drill bits 29 will simultaneously drill two holes 127 in each side wall 126 of the journal box 121. When this 118 is turned in the opposite direction for moving the carriers 21 and 22 away from one another for extracting the drill bits 29 from the holes 127 and for thereafter moving the carriers 21 and 22 back to their fully retracted positions of Figure 4. The valve 105 is closed to stop rotation of the drill bits 29, after said drill bits have been extracted from the openings 127.

The valve 102 is then manually adjusted for venting the cylinder 60 to the atmosphere so that the spring 65 can return the plate 64 to its retracted position as seen in Figure 4. The handle is then raised to swing the wheels 58 back into engagement with the ground surface and for disengaging the hook bill 67 from the journal box portion 122, so that the drilling machine 12 can then be rolled to another location to repeat the operation previously described.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the drilling machine 12 provides a portable device capable of being readily clamped to a journal box without removing the journal box from its position on a truck beneath a railroad car, and by means of which machine four holes may be simultaneously drilled in side walls of the journal box in accurately located positions.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A journal box drilling machine comprising an elongated rectangular frame, a pair of carriers, means slidably supporting said carriers in said frame for movement of the carriers longitudinally of the frame toward and away from one another, a pair of drill bits journalled in and supported by each of the carriers, said drill bits projecting from portions of the carriers toward one another, a chain and sprocket wheel drive mounted on each of said carriers by which the drill bits of each carrier are driven simultaneously in the same direction, a shaft extending slidably and rotatably through a first one of said carriers and rotatably and non-slidably connected to the other carrier, one sprocket wheel of each carrier being connected to said shaft for rotation therewith whereby the sprocket wheels and chain drives and the drill bits of the two carriers are revolved simultaneously, a drill shaft connected to and driving another sprocket wheel of said first carrier for driving the drill bits of the two carriers, and a manually operated feed for moving the carriers toward and away from one another including a first part fixed to said first carrier and a second part threadedly engaging said first part and rotatably and non-slidably connected to said shaft for moving the carriers toward and away from one another when said second part of the feed is turned in one direction and an opposite direction relative to said first part of the feed.

2. A journal box drilling machine as in claim 1, a hook secured to and extending outwardly and upwardly from one side wall of said frame and having a downwardly and inwardly extending bill portion at its upper end adapted to detachably engage over a bottom edge of a journal box opening for swingably suspending the frame beneath the journal box, and an extensible jack secured to the frame and extending downwardly from an intermediate portion thereof, said jack being extensible for forcing the frame to swing upwardly and inwardly about the bill portion of the hook as a fulcrum for clamping the frame detachably to the journal box with said carriers positioned to straddle the journal box.

3. A journal box drilling machine as in claim 2, a wheel fork fixed to and depending from each carrier, a ground engaging wheel journalled in each wheel fork, said ground engaging wheels providing a mobile support for the frame when the jack is in a retracted position, and said jack being extensible to below the level of the bottom portions of said wheels.

4. A journal box drilling machine as in claim 3, handle means secured to said frame and extending from said frame side, said handle means including a handle bar spaced from and disposed substantially parallel to the frame.

5. A journal box drilling machine as in claim 4, said handle bar'comprising a rigid conduit having an inlet adapted to be connected to a source of supply of a fluid medium under pressure, said jack comprising a fluid pressure jack, said handle bar having an outlet, a conduit connecting said outlet to the fluid pressure jack, and a control valve interposed in said conduit adjacent the handle bar.

6. A journal box drilling machine as in claim 5, a fluid pressure motor connected to said drive shaft, said handle bar having a second outlet, a second conduit connecting said second outlet and the fluid pressure motor, and a second control valve mounted in said second conduit adjacent the handle bar for controlling the operation of said motor.

7. A journal box drilling machine as in claim 6, a hearing supported by said handle means, a shaft journalled in said bearing and disposed substantially parallel to said frame, a hand crank connected to said last mentioned shaft, and a sprocket wheel and chain drive connecting said last mentioned shaft and the carrier feed for manually turning the last mentioned shaft and said second part of the carrier feed in either direction.

8. A journal box drilling machine as in claim 7, and means for longitudinally adjusting said bearing relative to the handle means and toward and away from the frame for adjusting the tension of the chain of said last mentioned sprocket wheel and chain drive.

9. A drilling machine as in claim 1, and means for elevating and clamping said [frame detachably to a journal box with the carriers straddling the journal box.

No references cited. 

